Foxconn has closed one of its factories in China after an estimated 2,000 employees were involved in a brawl at one of the firm's dormitories.

Foxconn has closed one of its factories in China after an estimated 2,000 employees were involved in a brawl at one of the firm's dormitories.

The factory, in the city of Taiyuan, was shut down as Foxconn and police investigate the incident, and the closure is expected to last two or three days, according to one employee that Reuters spoke to.

Foxconn claims that the fighting started as a personal row, but got out of hand. The company was keen to emphasise that the reason for the violence was not work-related. Some reports suggest a different story, however, claiming that guards beat staff, leading to the riot.

Extreme violence erupted in the dormitory, with one Weibo user claiming that four or five security guards beat a worker almost to death, while another user claimed that guards beat up two employees. Staff then rebelled and set bed quilts on fire before tossing them out of the dormitory windows. However, there is no independent verification of these claims.

5,000 police were needed to curb the violence, which put as many as 40 people in hospital, with three reported to be in a serious condition.

Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple and other big technology companies, has gained a poor reputation in recent years, with a spate of employee suicides and allegations of poor working conditions tarring its image. A previous riot at a Chengdu factory involved 1,000 staff. International criticisim and scrutiny has prompted the company to increase wages and make other changes to improve work life, but this latest incident shows that there is still a lot to be done.